Here classes are held in open

SALEPUR: The Kusunpur primary school in Mahanga has five classrooms. Yet, the classes here are conducted on the verandah of the school building. The school has been lying in a dilapidated condition for the last 13 years, but repair work of any kind is yet to come forth. With teaching inside the dilapidated classrooms being unsafe, teachers are forced to teach students in the verandah.Established in 1916, Kusunpur primary school under Kurujanga gram panchayat in Mahanga block was considered one of the best primary schools in the area. However, the asbestos roof of the school collapsed in the 1999 supercyclone.The State Government had sanctioned `2.25 lakh under the Operation Black Board (OBB) scheme for construction of a permanent school building. However, due to lack of supervision, the contractor who was assigned the work misappropriated the amount and left the building incomplete.Thirteen years have passed since then, the condition of the incomplete school building has only worsended. No repair and reconstruction work has been initiated by the government. At present, there are two teachers for a total of 38 students.Recently, the School and Mass Education (SME) Minister Pratap Jena had sanctioned `30,000 from his MLA LAD funds for repair of the school building. The amount is now being used for plastering the building, said headmaster Bhagyabati Bhuyan.Locals alleged that even as the Secretary of SME department Aparajita Sarangi on Thursday inspected several schools under Mahanga and Nischintakoili blocks, she did not visit the Kusunpur primary school. “Had she visited the school, it would have been of great help for the staff and students,” said an official of the school.Meanwhile, Sarangi inspected the Block Resource Coordinator (BRC) office of Mahanga, Samasarpur Nodal, Alijoda Primary, Sultanpur Primary, Jahala Primary, Jahala ME and Jahala High Schools under Mahanga block.In Nischiontakoili block, she visited the Ghewarchand Nodal School, Mandana Primary, Saantapur Nodal, Jayanti Devi Girls High School, Shastri Memorial School, Orikanta, Lalabahadur Memorial Primary School, Nemalo and Maligan Primary School, Ahammad Box Nodal and High School.